A message from the Johnson County Library published in the Johnson County Post
Anywhere you go these days, it seems someone or something is watching: tracking your location, monitoring your purchases, or recording your information searches. But there is one place where there are no prying eyes: Libraries offer a sanctuary of privacy in today’s interconnected world.
Outlined in such official documents as the Library Bill of Rights and the Confidentiality of Records, Johnson County Library is committed to providing free access to information with as few barriers as possible.
“There are many good reasons people want privacy,” said Adam Wathen, associate director of Branch Services for Johnson County Library. “We don’t want to judge why someone wants information or how they will use it.”
Wathen said the strong emphasis on patron privacy has its roots in the so-called McCarthy Era of post-World War II when many Americans were pursued for what were considered their un-American ideologies. In response to this, the American Library Association in 1953 issued its Freedom to Read statement:
The freedom to read is essential to our democracy. It is continuously under attack … We trust the people of this nation to make their own decision about what to read and believe.
Read the rest of this article in the Johnson County Post
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